MaryAnn Bernal's Blog, page 251
August 5, 2014
Star Trek Controls Going into New U.S. Spacecraft
Star Trek-style technology is becoming reality around us everyday. We have cell phones that look like the old communicators that Kirk flipped open. E-readers like the Kindle and tablets like the iPad are a lot like the Next Generation-era padds (Personal Access Display Device) that Picard and others used. There are lots of things that we are bringing from Trek’s future into our present.There was a two-part episode of Voyager called “Future’s End” that even flirted with the idea that someone in the mid-20th century found Trek technology from the future and used it to launch the micro-computer revolution we are living in today. That episode itself used lots of themes and jokes from the Voyage Home feature film. The Trek folks are meta like that.
A 1993 study from Purdue University found that children learn more about science from Star Trek than from any other source.
And now we have the news from Air & Space Smithsonian that a new American spacecraft is being built that will utilize another Star Trek feature. Not warp nacelles or tractor beams, but something very familiar to all Trek fans from Next Generation forward.
The Orion capsule will feature very few control switches, as were in NASA craft of the past, and instead move to a touchscreen interface. The system is called “eProc” (electronic procedures), and is programmed to bring up the needed pages of icons as the user navigates the interface.
Trek fans will remember LCARS, the interface used in Trek computers, that was all touchscreen. LCARS is an acronym for Library Computer Access/Retrieval System. Scenic art supervisor and technical consultant Michael Okuda designed the LCARS interface to make the bridge of the newest Enterprise look clean and sleek.
“I came up with the LCARS style in part because of Gene Roddenberry’s directive that he wanted his new Enterprise to be so advanced that it looked simple and clean,” Okuda said. “The other part of the LCARS style was that it had to be something that could be manufactured quickly and easily on a television budget.”
The original setup on TNG was a simple plexiglass front with backlit printouts of the buttons needed. Later they installed video monitors within the panels so the interface could be changed at will.
Nowadays, we are used to the notion of touchscreen interfaces. They are in most smartphones, thanks to Apple leading the way with the iPhone. You can even get apps and wallpapers that will make your smartphone look like it is sporting the LCARS system.
There is even a very geek-centric website that is designed around the LCARS interface.
Image via YouTube
http://www.webpronews.com/star-trek-controls-going-into-new-u-s-spacecraft-2014-08
'Waiting for Harvey' - Kindle edition FREE August 5th & 6th Only
Do you like a good Ghost Story? 'Waiting for Harvey' will be FREE August 5th & 6th Only. Grab your copy before the sequel 'Lilies in the Clearing' comes out August 30th!
Erik went into the woods of northern Maine for a vacation. He planned to enjoy three weeks of quiet serenity. But in the cabin nothing was what he expected and his life would never be the same.
As winter settles over the region Erik begins to question whether he will get away from the woods alive.
The woods of Maine belong to the spirits who live there. When the whispering begins... RUN!
http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Harvey-Spirits-Maine-Book-ebook/dp/B00KAGI30S
Erik went into the woods of northern Maine for a vacation. He planned to enjoy three weeks of quiet serenity. But in the cabin nothing was what he expected and his life would never be the same.
As winter settles over the region Erik begins to question whether he will get away from the woods alive.
The woods of Maine belong to the spirits who live there. When the whispering begins... RUN!
http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Harvey-Spirits-Maine-Book-ebook/dp/B00KAGI30S
History Trivia - Oswald of Bernicia defeated by Penda of Mercia
August 5
642 Battle of Maserfield – Penda of Mercia defeated and killed Oswald of Bernicia (Northumbria).
910 The last major Danish army to raid England was defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward the Elder and Earl Aethelred of Mercia.
1100 Henry I was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
1305 William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance against England, was captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he was put on trial and executed.
1388 The Battle of Otterburn, a border skirmish was fought between the Scots and the English in Northern England; the Scots were victorious.
642 Battle of Maserfield – Penda of Mercia defeated and killed Oswald of Bernicia (Northumbria).
910 The last major Danish army to raid England was defeated at the Battle of Tettenhall by the allied forces of Mercia and Wessex, led by King Edward the Elder and Earl Aethelred of Mercia.
1100 Henry I was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.
1305 William Wallace, who led the Scottish resistance against England, was captured by the English near Glasgow and transported to London where he was put on trial and executed.
1388 The Battle of Otterburn, a border skirmish was fought between the Scots and the English in Northern England; the Scots were victorious.
For a limited time only - Ty the Bull by Brenda Perlin - Kindle edition 99 cents
Everything seemed to fall apart for Ty when his parents got a divorce. At his wits end after being bullied endlessly, he started to ditch school. It wasn't until he met up with a skater named Peacock that things somehow turned around and he put the pieces of his life back together. My review:
Ty the Bull is a heartwarming account of a child’s experience with bullies. Rex cannot explain why he became a target and shares his feelings about the effect this horrific situation had on his behavior. This is a story of hope and a must read for any child going through a similar experience.
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Ty-Bull-Brenda-Perlin-ebook/dp/B00LK572S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407202653&sr=8-1&keywords=ty+the+bull
August 4, 2014
History Trivia - Supernova seen in Cassiopeia
August 4
70 the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.
367 Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, was named co-Augustus by his father.
1181 Supernova was seen in Cassiopeia, a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain Queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.
1265 Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham: the army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeated the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort and many of his allies.
1347 English troops conquered Ft. Calais (France).
70 the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans.
367 Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, was named co-Augustus by his father.
1181 Supernova was seen in Cassiopeia, a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain Queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty.
1265 Second Barons' War: Battle of Evesham: the army of Prince Edward (the future king Edward I of England) defeated the forces of rebellious barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, killing de Montfort and many of his allies.
1347 English troops conquered Ft. Calais (France).
August 3, 2014
Ancient Discoveries - Warfare
Warfare technology is examined, including the Helepolis, a square fortified tower on wheels; and "Greek Fire," an incendiary liquid that stuck to people and objects and couldn't be extinguished with water.
Mr. Chuckles stopped by The Wizard's Cauldron, meeting with occult writer Wendy Steele
A popular author of occult fiction, pagan enthusiast, teacher, dancer and, most recently, house restorer, Wendy lives somewhere in rainy, windswept, Wales.
Read more at:
http://greenwizard62.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/angelic-wendy-steele-makes-wrathful.html
History Trivia - Calais surrenders to Edward III of England
August 3
881 Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France defeated the Vikings, an event celebrated in the German poem Ludwigslied.
1291 the Crusaders abandoned Tortosa (province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain) to the Moslems.
1347 Six burghers of the surrounded French city of Calais surrendered to Edward III of England, hoping to relieve the siege.
1387 Olaf V Haakonsson, King of Denmark/ Norway died.
881 Battle of Saucourt-en-Vimeu: Louis III of France defeated the Vikings, an event celebrated in the German poem Ludwigslied.
1291 the Crusaders abandoned Tortosa (province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain) to the Moslems.
1347 Six burghers of the surrounded French city of Calais surrendered to Edward III of England, hoping to relieve the siege.
1387 Olaf V Haakonsson, King of Denmark/ Norway died.
